


haha jaune’s in love

by when_the_planets_align



Category: RWBY
Genre: Crushes, Fluff, Multi, Mutual Pining, Nora’s Boys, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Polya JNR, Polyam JNR, Questioning, Renorarc, Renora’s Arc, Sexuality Crisis, he doesn’t understand why he’s in love with two ppl poor boy, nora please stop torturing your leader he’s going through an identity crisis currently, oscar and weiss are Done, poly JNR
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:08:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26527978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/when_the_planets_align/pseuds/when_the_planets_align
Summary: After being with two people for so long and being through so much together, feelings are bound to change, right?But is it normal for them to change like this?
Relationships: Jaune Arc & Oscar Pine & Lie Ren & Nora Valkyrie, Jaune Arc & Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc & Weiss Schnee, Jaune Arc/Lie Ren, Jaune Arc/Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie, Jaune Arc/Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie
Comments: 16
Kudos: 39





	1. early in the morning

**Author's Note:**

> hello again rwby fndm i’m here delivering to you the wholesome polyam jnr content you’re all lacking

Jaune wasn’t sure of the way he felt about his teammates. He’s always loved them, ever since the first day at Beacon. But this feeling now, finally up in Atlas, and awaiting their upgrades, it just felt so much different. The three of them had been through so much together since that first day at Beacon, so naturally feelings would change, right?

But he never thought they’d change like this. He never thought they  _ could  _ change like this, not after her. 

So Jaune was confused. He couldn’t get out of his head Ren’s hand on his back, comforting him as they stood in the kitchen at the Cotta-Arc home, awaiting their friend’s arrival. Nora’s giggles and wild, unrestrained smile was forever engraved into his thoughts. 

He didn’t understand why. Couldn’t explain why late at night, when he’d lay in bed alone with his thoughts, they’d almost always drift to green and pink. The strange warmth that’d envelope his body, wrapping him in the sensation was completely inexplicable. (The pit of shyness that would drop in his stomach was also another common asset of his wandering late night thoughts.)

He felt guilty, somehow, for thinking such things. Like the act of feeling for his teammates was a crime. In a way, he assumed it was. They  _ were  _ a thing after all, and here he was, wrapped in the thought of them.

It didn’t help he’d sometimes notice one of the two sneaking glances his way. They’d be walking as a group, his teammates in front, and Nora would turn her head and make a second of eye contact before smiling softly and turning her attention back to Ren. 

Now, he could sit here and dissect if that gesture was flirtatious or not, but he has, and he’s concluded she does it more often and in a certain way that is different to the others (i.e. Ruby) to him for it to be something that, at least,  _ isn’t  _ her just worrying about her leader, as one does. 

And Ren, he’d be all the way across the room, and out of the corner of Jaune’s eye, he’d see him _ staring _ , and Jaune really wished he could stop time and examine Ren’s face, pick apart every frozen movement of it, and determine just what he was thinking. 

It was stressful enough trying to understand his own emotions, let alone his teammates. But he didn’t know how to bring it up to them (them, who were in a  _ relationship _ , mind you). 

And so he moved on, silently drowning in a sea of confusion and want. 

——

The Atlas skies really were a sight to behold. Splashes of harsh pinks and oranges filled the sky when Jaune first opened his eyes after his first night in the academy. It was nice, being able to settle down in a place where he didn’t feel like he was intruding in on other’s lives, safe with his teammates and friends. 

He found Oscar seated in front of the large glass window the dorm had, wrapped in a blanket and holding a cup of tea. When Oscar heard Jaune waking, he glanced over his shoulder and shot him a small smile before turning back to the sunrise. After a few minutes of stretching and wandering the small space, Jaune sat down next to the Mistralian, currently in the state of blanket burrito. 

Team RWBY really did luck out. They were just across the hall from his team, and had no such view of the sunrise he was currently observing right now. 

He cast his glance to the sleeping forms curled snuggly under a blanket on the bottom bunk, closest to the door. Almost as soon as they were all led to the dorms, it was lights out. Ren and Nora hadn’t even had a chance to change before they were curled up together in the bunk Ren had claimed. 

They really were cute, he thought. He couldn’t see their faces from the angle he was at, but their near in-sync breathing was mesmerizing. 

He peeled his eyes away from his teammates and fiddled with his hands in his lap, contemplating. There was that strange pit in his stomach again, bugging him. He still wasn’t sure  _ what  _ exactly it was that he was feeling, but whatever it was, it was getting stronger each day. 

Jaune was pulled out of his head by the sound of a groan, followed by a yawn coming from the bunk behind him. He and Oscar both snapped their heads to the sound and found Nora rolling herself out of bed. She sat upright and stretched, her arms raising way above her head and almost grazing the top of the bunk. 

Her half-lidded eyes found their way to Jaune and Oscar on the floor, and she gave a sleepy smile followed by an even groggier, “G’morning.”

Jaune felt his breath catch in his throat and his heart beat twice as fast. Nora ran a hand through her hair and huffed, and Jaune felt like he was going to burst. 

What was it that this woman had done to him? To make him feel this? 

It took all the strength Jaune had in his body to avert his gaze back to the sunrise. It was too early for this. He could deal with his complicated emotions later. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Oscar eyeing him as he sipped his tea. Jaune caught his gaze and Oscar didn’t break eye contact. For once, the farmer’s face was unreadable. Jaune was more confused than anything, and showed his bewilderment by smiling awkwardly and raising a brow. 

Oscar just kept staring. 

The weird atmosphere slowly rising between them was only broken when Nora flopped down next to Jaune and crashed her head on his shoulder. She blew a lazy raspberry and kept her eyes closed, mumbling incoherently something about finally getting a decent breakfast. 

Jaune felt like his entire body had shut down. Heat rushed to his face and he was sure that if there were a mirror nearby, it’d be beat red. 

Nora didn’t make the situation any better as she stroked one finger lazily over Jaune’s knuckles. He wanted so badly to take her hand and lace his fingers between hers, but the thought of that alone made his stomach drop. 

Why’d he think like this? Why’d he have these thoughts and feelings for his own teammate? She was already in a committed relationship with his other teammate. He was her leader for crying out loud! He couldn’t be thinking like this about her, couldn’t be getting in the way of her and Ren. 

And yet he didn’t push her away. He just let her stroke his knuckles, allowed her to rest her head on his shoulder. 

A peaceful ambiance fell over the three, the colors of the sky slowly fading as the sun rose higher and higher. Ren only started to stir when the last bit of orange was leaving the sky, sun shining brightly into the dorm room now. 

Nora perked up just a bit at the sound of his groans and holstered herself up from the ground. Jaune was shocked by how cold he felt without her there, not realizing the ginger was a literal heater. 

He watched as Nora hovered over Ren as he got up, the faintest of smiles appearing on the groggy lotus. Jaune tried not to think about the warmth that spread through his body, and especially his face. 

After a few moments of shuffling and playing with the coffee machine they were using to make tea instead, Ren found his way to Jaune’s bunk, sitting down and facing the group. Nora plopped back down next to Jaune, with more energy this time. 

Before anyone could get a word out, they heard a knock at the door. Wasn’t it a little early for visitors? They didn’t even wait for someone to answer the door before Weiss had her foot in the dorm, fully dressed in a light blue tee and capris. 

She examined the area, seemingly disapproving of it, though Jaune knew it was just how her face rested when she observed. 

She finally faced his team and made her announcement; “Good morning! Glad to see you all are awake, unlike  _ some _ people,” she glanced back at her open dorm room, and Jaune could just see Ruby wave her arm in a dismissive manner from her bunk. “Ruby thought it’d be a good idea to take the day off and explore Atlas Academy, to get a feel for the quarters and check out areas like the cafeteria and common rooms. Meet us out in the hall when you’re ready. We’re grabbing breakfast first.” And with that, she spared one last glance at the four of them, making brief eye contact with Oscar, huffed, and walked out the door, closing it behind her. 

For a moment, no one moved. They were still trying to process the fact that they’d be staying here for awhile, safe, not rushed, and finally with some form of a plan for the first time in over a  _ year _ . 

Then, finally, Ren sat up and placed his mug on one of the counters, walking over to the dresser that was stocked with clothes the academy had provided for them. Nora quickly followed suit, who was then followed by both Jaune and Oscar. 

A day to relax. A day to spend some quality time with his team and friends. A day to actually _ bond _ with the people he cares about, instead of getting to know them through life-threatening situations. 

Yeah. He could get used to this. 

Oscar grabbed a set of clothes and shuffled out the room, presumably to the nearby bathrooms to get changed. 

The clothes they provided were surprisingly warm even though they were light-weight. Once the three were fully changed - Nora found a pair of running shorts and a dark maroon tee, Ren a pair of sweatpants and a plain white tee, and Jaune wore a fresh pair of jeans, but kept his signature hoodie on along with Pyrrha’s sash - they waited for Jaune to be ready and give any orders as to where they should head off to first after eating. 

He didn’t have anything, really. He was content to follow anyone else around, so long as they could just breathe. He shrugged his shoulders, indicating his thoughts. Ren and Nora nodded, definitely agreeing with the whole  _ ‘let’s just breathe for a day’ _ thing. 

Grabbing a few more things from the room, they spared a look at each other. They all allowed themselves one more chance to be bewildered at the fact they weren’t in any immediate danger anytime soon. With a sigh, Jaune shot them a smile to which they returned, turned around, and headed to meet the others out in the hall. 

  
  



	2. love in different forms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jaune has a big heart that holds a lot of love for his friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ndhaiqjd sORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG school is actually killing me (I’M FAILING MATH) 🤠🤠
> 
> anyways this is more of a filler chapter i promise next chapter has like. actual renorarc content i almost forgot about breakfast so i had to write this 😭😭
> 
> also this is shit i’m so sorry i made y’all wait for this thing

The walk down to the cafeteria was light and full of sprinkled laughter, too early in the morning yet to be in full chaos mode. The arching glass windows allowed for the soft morning light to settle in and bathe them in a soft yellow. The fresh crispness of the cold Atlas air clung to their clothes, sending a soft shiver down Jaune’s spine as he walked beside Ruby, who smartly put on a sweatshirt. (Even though the school did have heaters and was far warmer than the outside, Atlesians liked a colder temperature, Jaune quickly found out.)

Jaune couldn’t help but be appalled by the architecture, both inside and out. The high-end ceilings atop the striking colors of blue and gold excited Jaune in a way he hadn’t been in a long while.

The early morning light only added to Jaune’s excitement. How long has it been since he’s been able to see his friends in such a friendly setting, eyes twinkling and smiles bright? Far too long, Jaune thought. 

He was snapped out of his thoughts by Yang’s booming laugh, and saw what looked to be Ren playfully pushing her aside. In front of them, Weiss rolled her eyes and continued her conversation with Blake, while the latter let her gaze linger on the blonde woman currently taunting Ren for whatever, before focusing once again on Weiss. 

Jaune took no thought of them as he watched Ren desperately try and deflect whatever Yang was now bugging him about, his smile embarrassed but not shy. The sunlight found his eyes at just the right angle, making his magenta eyes pop in a way Jaune nearly lost his breath to. His hair was left uncombed, and that, too, was brought into attention by the morning light. His entire demeanor screamed “lazy Sunday morning,” which, it wasn’t Sunday, but it certainly could’ve been. 

Jaune just wanted to sit there and soak him all up. 

He was caught off guard by Weiss in the distance, seeing her ponytail swing, indicating her head was moving. He could’ve sworn her caught her eyes boring holes into him, but just as quickly as he could even think about that, Weiss was already turned to Nora, who was to the right of Blake, apparently scolding her, probably for being too rambunctious in the halls with Oscar. 

He blamed it on the grogginess of the morning, possibly making him slow to process all that was around him. 

Finally arriving at the cafeteria, Jaune was a little shocked to see so many students. At Beacon, the students never really went to the school’s cafe to eat breakfast, only ever really arriving there for lunch. The only people he knew to go there for almost three meals a day were Ren and Nora, and even then, as time went on, they slowly filed it down to a constant lunch, but scattered breakfast at the cafe. 

Easily finding an empty table (because it wasn’t that crowded, just a lot more students than expected), the eight teenagers plopped themselves down, deciding to go in shifts to get food. Blake, Yang, Oscar and Nora didn’t even sit down before flying off to the food line. Ruby found a space next to Jaune, Weiss across from her partner. Ren sat next to Jaune, leaving a space for Nora to fill in when she got back. 

A comfortable silence befell the four. There really wasn’t much to talk about, assuming how they’ve spent the last month or so by each other’s side near-constant. And even if there were things to talk about, like what happened before they all found each other again, the topics were too heavy for the lightly buzzing atmosphere already set up. No one wanted to break it, and no one needed to, anyways. The way things were right now was good. 

He saw Nora approaching the table and sat up to get his own food with the others. French toast sticks, a roll, and some applesauce were available and he wasn’t one to let up an offer that good. 

After only a couple minutes, the four headed back to the rest of the group, whom of which were already creating a ruckus. Weiss huffed from behind him, and he heard Ruby giggle, possibly in response. 

Taking their seats, the table grew surprisingly quiet as they gobbled down their breakfast. Jaune was decently surprised by how good the food was, especially the applesauce. Blake was the first to comment on it, everyone quickly agreeing. 

“I still think Ren’s pancakes are far better,” Nora pouted from beside him, stabbing her pancake and shoving the whole thing in her mouth, much to Weiss’s delight. After managing to chew and swallow an entire pancake, she stuck her lip out in disapproval, but it didn’t stop her from picking up her next pancake and - this time - taking a bite out of it. 

Jaune felt his stomach flutter just a bit at that. He wasn’t sure what it was - the earliness of the morning, Nora’s wildly uncombed hair, or all of the above - but he couldn’t help but find her childish pouting cute. 

He felt eyes boring into him from his side and found Weiss giving him a weird look again, and he remembered when he thought he saw her looking at him from across the hall on their way here. Turns out he was right. Before he could point it out, she rolled her eyes and returned to her food, listening to whatever Ruby was excitedly explaining to her and Blake. 

Whatever. It didn’t matter too much, anyways. He returned to his food, too, and in what seemed like no time at all, everyone was done eating and cleaning up. At this time, Penny entered the room and Ruby nearly exploded with joy. He watched as she ran over to her, talking excessively (as she usually does), waving Weiss over before the three left together. 

Before long, Yang and Oscar were near sprinting out of the room with Blake at their heels as they tried to find the closest games room. 

That left him and his team. Unlike the others, he didn’t have an idea of where he wanted to go. Atlas academy was huge, and it was very foreign, and if he was being honest, he didn’t mind just staying in the dorms all day watching the sky. 

But that’s not what they were going to do, so he looked to Ren and Nora and gave them a look, asking where they wanted to head off to first. 

Nora shrugged and Ren shuffled his feet just a bit, a sign Jaune learned was him indicating he wanted to say something but didn’t know how. 

“Ren? You want to go anywhere specific?” Ren lifted his head at this, then mentioned something about seeing a courtyard while on Penny’s grand tour, and how it might be interesting to check it out. 

Jaune thought it was code for ‘I really want to see the courtyard and I think it’d be really cool if we all went there right now to see it please,’ though he wasn’t that good at reading Ren yet. He’s gotten better, though. 

With a smile on his face, Jaune turned around and signaled his team to follow, deciding they’d find their way to the courtyards the traditional way, by wandering until they found it. (Actually, Ren would find a map in one of the hallways and guide them like that, because he was good at reading and remembering maps.)

The sun was higher in the sky, the sunlight in the halls a little harsher than it was from their walk to the cafeteria. He could do this. He could totally do this. A day to relax, a day to just be. A day with his teammates, his family, and no worries. 

Jaune could absolutely get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again i’m sORRY


	3. vibrant orange fish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The courtyard felt like home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nsndnsnjaJDNSNMANAMA WTF THIS TOOK SO LONG IM SO SORRY 😭😭😭 literally idk why this took me so fucking long omg
> 
> this is only a little over 1,000 words which is,,,,, yknow it could’ve been a little longer for how long it took but yknow what? i’m just glad it’s done. next chapter should be really fun to right wooooooo (and rlly long. another woo!! i like long chapter help)

Entering the Atlas Academy courtyard felt like crossing the threshold from one realm to another. The change from cold, bitter and dry air into warm, alive and humid air hit Jaune - and from the looks of it, his team too - in the face quite literally.

The scene before him was simply breathtaking. The courtyard they were currently in was actually one of three, this one being the smallest of the bunch. Jaune couldn’t even think what the other two must look like, especially the main courtyard. The courtyard was a circle, with the actual Atlas Academy building being the walls to the small patch of life. If the blinds weren’t pulled down on nearly every classroom window, Jaune was sure he’d be able to see the students behind the glass. 

Looking forward, Jaune was met with the sight of a large, beautiful tree, standing mighty and tall directly in the middle. A path led up to said tree, to which it wrapped around the tree and split off in four directions, one being the path they were on now. 

Admiring and gawking at every little thing in sight, what caught Jaune’s eye the most wasn’t the flowers of every extravagant color, or the bushes with unique leaves he’s never before seen the likes of, but rather the sky on full display above. The ceiling was essentially one big glass paned window, arching wide. The ice blue of the sky along with the crystal clouds left Jaune completely breathless.

Along with the warm, humid air that clung to his skin and frizzed his hair, he could almost imagine he was on Patch again, a little boy, gazing up at the clouds on a cool summer morning with his sister before his mother called them back inside to do chores. 

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been standing there, craning his neck to the vast blue space, but he must’ve been there for at least some time because he was pulled out of his trance at the sound of Nora’s giggles. He looked down to find her staring directly at him some feet ahead of him. He blushed and rubbed his neck shyly. He was about to say something along the lines of ‘sorry,’ but luckily he didn’t have to because Nora spoke up first. 

“Come look at this flower! I think Oscar mentioned it once, though I can’t remember what it’s called now,” she flapped her hand in gesture, and Jaune wandered up to her side to observe the flower with her. It was a deep midnight blue, with orange in the middle and it faded out to the ends. There were orange specs all across it too, and it’s stem was thick and full of very large thorns. 

“I think it’s poisonous,” Jaune noted, remembering Oscar telling him big stems plus deep colors usually meant danger in Mistral. And, if he was correct, this was the Mistral section of the courtyard. 

“Probably,” Nora tilted her head to the side and frowned slightly, before springing up again. “Where's Ren?” 

The pair snapped their heads around, a steady panic beginning to build up in them. 

“Uh, maybe he went straight ahead? This courtyard isn’t that big, he couldn’t have gone far,” he reasoned, trying to quiet the panic. It was useless, anyways. They were in a courtyard, the one place with arguably the least amount of danger present. 

“Right,” Nora agreed as they began to head on the path behind the tree, directly straight. Jaune was right, as they found Ren sitting on his legs, gazing at the little fishpond in the ground. When he heard their footsteps, he shifted his gaze to them and smiled softly, offering with a gesture of his hands for them to come join him. They did, as Nora grabbed Jaune’s hand (much to his surprise) and dragged him over to him. She essentially threw him next to Ren before plopping down next to Jaune herself. 

A steady silence fell over them, only ever broken by Nora’s occasional ooo’s and aah’s as they watched the fish swim lazily in the pond. Jaune had his eyes glued to the biggest fish, it’s color a vibrant orange. It swam around slowly, the other fish occasionally brushing against its side. It seemed to not care about anything, in a state of constant zen. He decided that it was his favorite fish in the pond. 

He felt himself begin to settle into peace before he felt the soft sensation of eyes gazing into the side of his face. He turned his head to his left and met Ren’s magenta eyes, and he could’ve sworn they were twinkling at him. Jaune’s breath hitched in his throat as he forgot how to breathe for a second, staring into the seemingly endless void of rich pink. He barely processed Ren leaning in and placing his head softly on his shoulder until he felt Ren’s silky hair against his chin. It was at that moment also that Nora decided now was a good time as any to place her hand atop his and stroke her thumb back and forth lazily across his knuckles, similar to this morning. 

Instead of tensing up and panicking like he was expecting himself to do, he simply relaxed into the touches and averted his attention back to the pond with the big orange fish, still swimming at snail’s pace. It all felt…natural somehow. Like this is what they were supposed to be doing at that moment. Like pieces of a puzzle, they fit together as they were right now. And it was like he could breathe again, and he didn’t even realize he was having trouble before. 

The courtyard was quiet. All was still around them, except for the very excited fish in the pond before them. Yet, even they seemed to be moving in a sort of steady slowness, as if they could sense the overwhelming peace that had occurred. 

Jaune didn’t want to think about anything else. No relics, no magic, no invincible thousand year old witch that seemed to be looming over the entire group ever since Argus. Nothing. He just wanted to be completely entranced by the fish in the pond - specifically the big, slow, bright orange one - and experience the sufficient amount of touch he was receiving from both his teammates. 

Because nothing else mattered, in that moment. Just him and his team. And he’d be fine if it was like that for the rest of eternity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if it’s not the best!! this was written in chunks over a pretty long period of time lol, so it may be just a tad bit inconsistent. also if u see any errors i’m sorry it’s late when i finally finished this 😭 just let me know! i won’t be offended :)

**Author's Note:**

> i promise next chapter will have more ren and jaune interactions dishajqiak i’m still tryna get used to writing like. three people.
> 
> also this was supposed to be a one shot and now i have three chapters planned. kill me.


End file.
